Google Chicago

They might call Chicago the Windy City, but there ain’t no bluster about how much we love
it here. Software engineers at Google Chicago develop products used by people around the
world. Our Sales teams help advertisers big and small reach their markets.

Accomplishments

Our advertising and enterprise sales teams work with some of the biggest companies in
the world, and our online sales and operations teams help small and medium-sized
businesses grow using Google products.

In engineering, we have teams working on core search infrastructure (the technology
that makes searches possible!), traffic forecasting for Doubleclick advertisers and
publishers, and important public and internal projects that protect users’ privacy,
such as the Data
Liberation Front.

Stats

Number of Chicago Googlers: About the same as the fictitious area code used
for phone numbers in U.S. films

Some of our conference rooms are named: Wrigleyville, Wicker Park, Risky
Business

Distance to the Magnificent Mile, in walking minutes: 6

Address

Inside Google Chicago

From Beaux Arts to brilliant feats of engineering, Chicago has always been home to
both creative thinkers and scientific minds. We’re the home of blues, the world’s
first skyscraper (along with some other amazing architecture), a particle
accelerator, and even controlled nuclear reactions. Who you calling the Second City?

We’re predominantly a Sales office. Our teams develop sales strategies for businesses
of all sizes–from some of the world's largest advertisers and agencies to local,
family-owned businesses. No matter the scale, we help clients connect with their
audience through Google’s powerful suite of cloud-based products. Likewise, our
engineers work on developing the products and services that help them reach their
goals.

Googlers in Chicago can do it all, from growing customer sales opportunities to
creating innovative products. We’re encouraged to take on, and to solve, big
problems. We strive to create a more open and meaningful web, and everyone here—from
SVPs to Nooglers—has a voice that matters.

When we're not in meetings or online, we keep the creativity flowing by making
art with paintball guns or constructing
elaborate "blox" structures (behold the mystery and grandeur of
Bloxhenge). We take part in community fundraisers like dance-a-thons and fun
runs. And with local beer, chocolate tastings and live jazz, our weekly Thursday IIFY
("is it Friday yet?") office-wide meetings are a step up from your typical all-hands
meeting.

Our engineers build global products. Our sales teams work with global clients. We get
everything that’s great about Google, and we get to be in Chicago.

- Jim Lecinski, VP of Sales

Google Chicago: Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Chicago different?

The Windy City version of Google celebrates all sorts of stuff that make Chicago so
unique. Office and conferences rooms are call out our local sports history (dah Bears!)
not to mention some of the great Chicago-set cinematic gems of our time. Anyone?
Anyone? Bueller? Also on display is our very own mini-computer history museum. We’ve
original racks from a Google Data Center as well as components from the famed particle
accelerator at Fermilab. So vintage. In 2016 we’ll open our brand new office in the
West Loop. Based in the historic Fulton Market Cold Storage Building, we’ll have a
shiny new home that’s every bit as eclectic and fun as our current office. We’re really
excited to settle into our new space and get Googley in a whole new part of town.

What do Chicago Googlers work on?

On the Sales side of things, we work with everyone from small- and mid-sized companies
to large enterprises. On the tech side, we touch a lot of products and services, with a
focus on a few main areas—Search, Ads, and Technical Infrastructure. We’re also home to
the Data Liberation Front and do a lot of work related to keeping our users’
information safe and ensuring privacy. The Transparency Report also started here,
for instance. Another thing we think is pretty special about Google Chicago: a lot of
shop talk goes on between the sales and engineering sides of the house, which makes
cross-functional projects work even more smoothly, helping us feel like a small,
tight-knit community here in Chi-town.

How do Googlers kick back have fun in the Chicago office?

Every summer, we have an enormous picnic for all our Googlers, their families and
guests. We have holiday parties at cool venues like the Museum of Modern Art, and our
team activities included things like sausage-making (pretty much the perfect choice
here in the land of da Bulls, da Bears and da Google). We have an awesome game room,
with everything—Xboxes, Wiis, foosball. And what game room would be complete without a
robot that plays ping pong? Each year we enter a float in the annual Chicago Pride
Parade to show our support for the LGBT community. We’ve welcomed notable visitors like
mayor Rahm Emanuel, and
Lollapalooza acts like DJ White Shadow and Cold War Kids.

How do Googlers give back to the Chicago community?

In lots of ways! We support the local branch of the National Society of Black
Engineers, National Engineers Week, National Lab Day, Girls in Engineering Day, and the
FIRST Robotics Competition.
We participate in Chicago Ideas Week, high school science fair workshops, and support
computer science teachers via our CS4HS initiative. We provide space and resources to
non-profit tech incubators. We host events including ORD Camp, the Parent Internet
Safety Workshop and the Internet Bootcamp for Your Business. We’ve donated more than $1
million to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. We host trainings for residents,
teachers, nonprofits and small businesses on how to use Google products bring their
organizations online.